After the box office success and critical acclaim of 2017’s Logan, it’s no surprise that the creative team behind the film is looking to push the franchise forward. This of course begs the question, where does the saga of Wolverine go now that Hugh Jackman has officially retired his claws?
According to director James Mangold, a script is currently in the works for X-23. X-23–otherwise known as Laura (Dafne Keen)–could very well be the future of the franchise. Speaking recently to The Hollywood Reporter, Mangold says it’s the Wonder Woman film that may have made this project a possibility. “Patty [Jenkins’] success with that film only solidifies more for studios that there’s less to fear with a female protagonist,” he says. “The more that keeps getting hit home, that ends up giving me more space turning around and going, ‘Well, here we are with a female protagonist. That’s incredible. And what are we going to do with her?’ And that’s where we are with that [the Laura script] right now, dreaming.“
Still, even in the dreaming stage, knowing a script for a movie about X-23 is very much in the works is an exciting prospect. The character was a breakout hit in Logan, and the end of the movie left plenty of room for more.
As for what kind of film it would be, not even producer Hutch Parker–who recently wrapped filming on X-Men: Dark Phoenix–is quite sure. “It may not be in the same exact tonality or with the same genre orientations as Logan,” he says. “But I think part of what has been opened up in this universe to all of us now is, drawing on different genre traditions, there are new pathways to be opened for new characters that populate this universe.” That said, a film following Laura as she leads a new group of young mutants through a dystopian future sounds like an instant winner.
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